WEBVTT AT WELLS FARGO ARENA. IT WAS A PRO SKATEBOARDING SHOW, BUT THAT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING OF A DECADE OF ENTERTAINMENT. MARK TAUSCHECK LIVE WITH MORE MANY OF THOSE BIG EVENTS. MARK: MANY PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT THE ARENA WAS A BAD IDEA HAVE HAD THEIR MINDS CHANGED BY THE RESULTS. FIRST WELLS FARGO ARENA CONCERT, TOM PETTY, JULY 2005. HE WAS FOLLOWED BY MORE OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN MUSIC OVER THE NEXT DECADE. BIG ARENA ROCK SHOWS THAT STARTED COMING TO DES MOINES WHEN WE GOT A BIG ARENA. OVER 6 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE ATTENDED THE ROUGHLY 150 EVENTS A YEAR IN THE ARENA, THE GREATER DES MOINES CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU REPORTS. THOSE ATTENDEES HAVE INJECTED OVER $64 MILLION TO THE METRO ECONOMY DURING THE DECADE. DES MOINES IS STILL LOOKED AT AS A 2ND TIER TYPE OF CITY, BUT WE CAN DRAW THE BIGGER ACTS NOW. MARK: WELLS FARGO IS ALSO HOME TO THREE PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS, THE WILD, BARNSTORMERS, AND THE ENERGY. THEY HAD DECISION TO BUILD THIS PLACE AGAIN A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT WE WOULD FAIL OR WE COULDN'T DRAW ACTS LIKE THIS. PEOPLE COME SEE WELLS FARGO AND THE IOWA EVENT CENTER AND CAN'T THEY CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS IN DES MOINES. MARK: POLK COUNTY SUPERVISOR ANGELA CONNOLLY WILL NEVER FORGET HER FIRST WELLS FARGO MEMORY. WITHOUT A DOUBT, PAUL MCCARTNEY AND OPENING NIGHT. I WAS CRYING ALL THE TIME. I CAN HARDLY REMEMBER IT I WAS SO BEYOND EVERYTHING. MARK: CONNOLLY WAS NOT EMOTIONAL BECAUSE SHE WAS SEEING A BEETLE. QUESTS I WAS JUST LOOKING AROUND GOING, I HOPE EVERYTHING WORKS, LIGHTS STAY ON. I WAS JUST A WRECK. MARK: SHE REMEMBERS THE LONG BATTLE TO SECURE FUNDING FROM POLK COUNTY CITIES AND THE -- SHE REMEMBERS THE PEOPLE WHO SAID IT WAS TOO BIG FOR DES MOINES, IT WON'T DRAW BIG NAMES, IT WON'T BE PROFITABLE. ALL THOSE NAYSAYERS THEY HAVE NO BASIS TODAY. MARK: THE GENERAL MANAGER AT WELLS FARGO ARENA SAYS THE ARENA DOESN'T LOOK 10-YEARS-OLD BECAUSE A LOT OF MONEY IS SPENT ON UPKEEP. HE SAYS THE NEXT BIG ADDITION ARRIVES NEXT MONTH. REALLY BIG. AN HD VIDEOBOARD THAT WILL BE 5